International Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 2

International Business - Essay Example They are different listings; however, they are one business unit and managed by the same people. A few of the major brands out of its portfolio of more than 400 brands are: Dove Ben & Jerry’s Knorr Lipton Lux Surf Tresseme Toni & Guy Sunsilk Flora (Unilever, n.d.) Unilever is present in more than 100 countries of the world with different brands and has great global presence. They focus on local knowledge and cater to the consumer’s needs in every market and that is why consumers worldwide prefer their products. They help consumers get the most out of life and out of their products and thus they translate the vitality of life through their products. Unilever’s major competitors are P&G and Nestle. These are its direct competitors all over the world however they face competition from local competitors in places as well such as Henkel, Johnson and Johnson, Reckitt Benckiser, PepsiCo etc. (Smith, 1995) Unilever in India Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) was formed in 1933 however as Lever Brothers and later it came to be Unilever by a merger in 1956. It’s base was formed in Mumbai and since it’s a multinational company, 52% of the shares in the company are held by the main Unilever in United Kingdom. The product categories are the same as aforementioned. HUL employs thousands of employees directly and indirectly and it got its official name in 2007. They started as a small company selling soaps and then emerged as a company that made products for the FMCG (Fast Moving Consumer Goods) market. HUL has 6.4 million outlets all over India and many retail outlets and a majority of the Indians use its products be it personal care or foods etc. (unilever, 1976) The major brands in India are its homecare, personal care and food brands but only personal care products will be discussed. A few major personal care products are: Axe Ayush therapy products CLEAR Close Up toothpaste Dove Fair & Lovely Lifebuoy Liri Lakme Pears Rexona Ponds LUX Vas eline Tresemme Pepsodent Sunsilk Hindustan Unilever has innovated marketing of many products that cater to the local market not just in personal care product categories but all the categories which has led it to be one of the trusted companies in India. (Books, 2010) Globalization and its drivers Unilever has been focused on innovation and expanding its size ever since it started out and globalization allows it to achieve its aim. They also focus on developing markets and target bottom of the pyramid consumers as well because they see a great deal of potential in these emerging markets. Unilever is one of the largest consumer goods industries in the world and they carry out large operations and manage large supply chain procedures. They are also focused on catering to consumers and lower their costs and inventory levels by understanding them better. There are three different strategies that one can look to while going global and these are what pose a challenge for most companies. Th ese are aggregation, adaptation and arbitrage. Aggregation is when a company or business standardizes its procedures and business practices either globally or locally or both to take advantage of economies of scale. Adaptation means catering to each market separately in order to meet consumer needs and thus boosting the business